Paddy McNair - Manchester United's best defender against Tottenham

After an unpleasant experience at St Mary's, Manchester United defender Patrick McNair will remember his individual display at White Hart Lane far more fondly.

The Northern Irishman was substituted in the first half in the win at Southampton earlier this month with his manager Louis van Gaal viewing him as a liability.

Against Tottenham Hotspur he was far more impressive, contributing strongly to the side keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw.

Match

Won Tackles

Interceptions

Aerial Duels Won

Accurate Crosses

Shots Blocked

Assists

Goals

Total

Mins Played

Patrick McNair

Tottenham vs Man Utd

1

6

4

0

1

0

0

12

76

Phil Jones

Tottenham vs Man Utd

2

3

3

0

0

0

0

8

90

Jonny Evans

Tottenham vs Man Utd

1

2

1

0

0

0

0

4

72

Rafael

Tottenham vs Man Utd

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

3

45

Chris Smalling

Tottenham vs Man Utd

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

2

18

Luke Shaw

Tottenham vs Man Utd

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

14

McNair made 12 important contributions against Tottenham, more than any other defender - and made more interceptions (6), than the rest of the defence put together.

He also won more aerial duels than any other defender, and was the only member of the United backline to block a shot.

Fans will be relieved that the experience against Southampton, which could have affected the confidence of other youngsters, appears not to have had any negative effect, and the Red Devils have unearthed a really promising prospect for the future.

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs has been writing for HITC Sport full time since 2012 and has helped the website grow it's audience considerably during this period, while managing a team of writers. He has interviewed high profile names including Stuart Pearce and his work has been cited in Javier Hernandez's biography. In addition to football, Dan is a big fan of the NFL and NBA.